Trump Lashes Out at ‘RINO’ Senator Over War Powers Vote
President Donald J. Trump sharply rebuked Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in a heated phone call after she voted to advance a war powers resolution aimed at limiting the president’s authority following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the detention of Nicolás Maduro.
The confrontation came after the Senate moved forward with legislation that would require congressional approval before any additional U.S. military action against Venezuela. On Thursday, five Republicans joined all 47 Democratic senators to advance the measure, setting up a direct challenge to Trump’s authority as commander in chief during his second term.
The Republicans backing the resolution were Collins, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rand Paul (R-KY), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Todd Young (R-IN). According to The Hill, Collins received a tense phone call from the president shortly after the vote.
“He called her and then basically read her the riot act,” one Republican senator told the outlet, describing the exchange as a “profanity-laced rant.”
A second source said Trump made clear that the resolution would severely restrict presidential authority. “He was very mad about the vote,” the source said. A spokesperson for Collins confirmed that the call took place but declined to comment on what was said.
Trump had already publicly blasted Collins and the other four Republicans earlier Thursday in a post on Truth Social, warning that their vote undermined national security.
“This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief,” Trump wrote.
“In any event, and despite their ‘stupidity,’ the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me,” he added.
The dispute underscores broader tensions within the GOP as Trump uses the fight against international drug trafficking and narco-terrorism as a central justification for aggressive action against Venezuela. The president has framed the removal of Maduro as part of a broader strategy to dismantle cartel-linked regimes and to send a clear warning to other nations in the region.
Trump signaled the fight is far from over, noting that “a more important Senate Vote will be taking place next week on this very subject.” Collins, who is up for re-election this year, faces a competitive race in purple Maine, though she has survived strong Democratic challenges in the past.
As the Senate clash unfolded, lawmakers also confirmed journalist Sara Carter to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in a 52–48 vote on Tuesday, handing Trump a key ally in his crackdown on drug cartels.
Trump praised Carter’s reporting on the illicit drug trade last March, citing her years spent investigating cartel operations and border security failures.
“My work in the frontlines wasn’t just about telling stories, it was about mapping the enemy,” Carter told senators during her September confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee. She credited Trump’s border enforcement policies with reducing the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into the United States, while also limiting the movement of U.S. weapons into Mexico that often end up in cartel hands.
“I have seen these predatory criminal empires operate with impunity in our hemisphere. That impunity ends now,” Carter said. “This is not just a public health crisis, it’s a chemical war being waged against the American people.”
As head of ONDCP, Carter will oversee federal strategy and funding related to drug trafficking, prevention, treatment, and recovery—placing her at the center of one of the administration’s top national security priorities.
“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for your confidence and faith in me to lead the charge to end the scourge of illegal drugs that have killed millions of Americans and have robbed too many families of their children,” Carter wrote on X. “I will work tirelessly to support your vision to put every Narco-terrorist on notice, letting them know their days of killing Americans are over.”
“I, along with our team @ONDCP will work everyday to put American families first and to build a safer healthier America, free of illicit drugs. We will provide every American with the tools and resources to protect themselves and their children from drug addiction- we’re in this fight together, we can’t win this alone,” she added.
Carter emphasized that her perspective comes not from theory but from years in the field.
“While I am not a doctor, a general or a lawyer,” she said, “I am a more than two-decade investigative journalist who was on the ground in the field, witnessing firsthand what these cartels and what these terrorist organizations have not only done to our nation and to the rest of the world, but to our children.”